Back from Disney!

Sadly I am back from Disney....

It was HOT- it was rainy- it was Magical!

On Monday night we arrived and went to The Boardwalk at the Yacht Club for some ice cream at Beaches and Cream. You can sort of see the fireworks from there. It is at the very least a nice place to check out if you have the time.


On Tuesday we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios ( it will always be MGM to me). We did so much, and did not wait in a line more than 15minutes for any ride. We rode Tower of Terror twice, the Rockin Roller Coaster, The Great Movie Ride, saw the American Idol Experience 3 times, saw Muppets 3D, saw the High School Musical Parade a few times, saw the Beauty and the Beast show, did the Star Wars ride and
     Then we ate at the 50s Prime Time Cafe. I had never eaten there before but I can not wait to eat there again. Fantastic in every which way. Also during the day we had a frozen lemonade drink and rice krispie treats. Plus all the free water we could possibly drink.
      It did rain for about an hour, so we sat and people watched. Sometimes its nice to just have that break to relax and enjoy being there.

     This is my umbrella trying to protect me from the rain that was coming in sideways!


Tomorrow I will continue with my day at Epcot.

Travel Tip Thursday

Travel Tip Thursday:

Since I am on vacation I thought I should bring back Travel Tip Thursday!

Before heading to a new city for vacation check out daily deal sites like Groupon, Mamapedia, Gilt City, Plum District, Tippr, BuyWithMe, Living Social, Eversave to see what offers they have available in your vacation town.

This is a great way to save 50% or more when going out to eat and exploring the town!

Some of my favorite travel tips...

I'm sure you know by now I am going to Disney World next week.


We are flying and staying in a hotel, so I figured I would share with you some of my very best traveling tips- I tend to travel a lot (8 flights last year! Ugh!)


When traveling with kids:

• Pack Snacks- it will save you time, money and breakdowns!
• Put each days outfit into a large zip-loc bags. This way they are easy to grab out of the suitcase and do not get mixed in with dirty clothes.
• Always pack at least an extra day's worth of clothes in your carry-on. You never know when your bag will get lost.
• Bring out the Leapsters and DS's- keep them quiet and relaxed

When traveling alone:

• Again, always bring an extra set of clothes in your carry-on.
• Talk to people around you, never know when you will make an unlikely friend or get a business contact.
• See if there are any free upgrades to First or Business class- once I was offered a $50 upgrade to First class while traveling to Ireland alone- and I turned it down! On a side note, I did make a great friend sitting in coach on my lay over flight.
• Bring snacks- This is a money saving blog after all, and airport food is insanely expensive.

You can also bring packs of oatmeal and ask for hot water to make your own oatmeal during a flight.



Always read reviews of hotels. People are always honest and, since they take time out of their lives to write the review, you know you will get the real story.




What are your best travel tips?

Having a job with no Vacation pay.. and taking 3 weeks off!

I don't know about you, but I have one of those jobs where I do NOT get paid while I am on vacation. I am a nanny, I don't even get sick days! If the family I nanny for goes away- I do not get paid either. That is the major downside of my job.

I know that I am going to Disney this month (August 22nd- 26th!) and that I am going to Ireland for 2 weeks in September or October. That means I will be missing 2.5 weeks of work- and pay! Plus lets not forget that I will need spend money for both trips.

Vacations are so relaxing, but the stress leading up to them is the worst!

In my case I have to cut way back on spending to make up for the 2.5 weeks I will not get paid- sadly my bills still need to get paid during that time.

Here is what I am doing:

• I am not eating out- as much as I can help it. I do have a Panera and Dunkin Donuts Giftcard just incase I get weak!
• I am eating food out of my freezer and cabinets- this needs to be done aways, so it is keeping my weekly grocery spending to about $10 a week- milk and fresh fruits. I have tons of frozen meat/veggies.
• Setting aside money each week for spend money while I am on vacation- this helps trust me!
• I am working as much as possible- 1 day off in 21 days, then I plan on working basically every day from the time I get back from Disney until the time I leave for Ireland- there is a 3 day weekend I have to take off to visit my sister at college for family weekend.

Nothing that I am doing to cut back on spending is super hard. In fact they are things I should be doing anyways, I am just trying harder at doing them.

How do you save up for vacations? Even if you do have paid vacation time?

Travel Tip Thursday

 

One of the biggest things I hate about flying, is the food... that mixed with the motion sickness-yuck! I find that actually eating helps though. So I usually pack some granola bars or banana chips and nuts. Something healthy and not too exciting.

So here is my best tip:
When traveling bring a packet of Oatmeal with you, then ask for a cup of hot water on the plane. Mix in the oatmeal and enjoy!

Travel Tip Thursday

This weeks travel tip, is pretty clever if I do say so myself!

Basically you pick out an outfit for everyday you are on vacation and fold each days clothes and put them into a zip lock bag. This way the clean clothes do not get mixed in with the dirty clothes, and you can easily grab the bag in the morning and not have to search through a suitcase for a shirt, pants and socks.

I think this tip is especially practical when traveling with children, they can pick out which bag of clothes they want to wear each day, and you will know they are going to match and everything they need is in the bag!